CLIA UK & Ireland was formed in May and now makes up part of the world's largest cruise industry trade association.

CleverTouch Marketing has launched The CommsCo in conjunction with former Lewis PR co-founder Ilona Hitel. The agency opens with four staff and seven b2b clients, including Centrix Software and The Mabey Group.

Fourtold, a London-based strategic comms firm with offices in Brussels, has been launched by former FTI Consulting executives Debbie Parriss and Matthew Willis.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies' Charlie Almond has moved to media agency Carat as head of sponsorship PR, a newly created role.

Baufritz, the international eco-friendly house builder, has called in Goodfellow Communications to handle its UK PR and raise the company's profile among consumers.

Noresland has appointed Green Row PR to promote Jarlsberg and Applewood Spreadable cheeses in the UK. The agency will handle consumer and trade press.

The week in global PR

Thermador, the kitchen appliance manufacturer, has called in Finn Partners as its US agency, as it seeks to raise brand awareness.

Papa John's has brought its global PR work in-house, parting company with Fleishman-Hillard after more than eight years with the agency.

Tonic Life Communications has taken on five consultants since April, with two more to join in the next few weeks. They are account director Frances Murphy, formerly at Ketchum Pleon; senior account executive Claire Johnson from Say Communications; senior account executive Henry Stanley from College Hill Life Sciences; account executive Edward Lamaison from Hanson Wade; and graduate David Cole, who joins as an assistant account executive.

The NHS' 65th birthday last week was marked by a motorcade of vintage ambulances in Parliament Square, in a protest by trade union GMB against the Health and Social Care Act.

The Department of Health has appointed Dr Ian Hudson as chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and incorporates e-health research service the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. Hudson is currently the MHRA's licensing director and will take up the post in September when Sir Kent Woods steps down.

The public sector week

Wiltshire Council is on the hunt for a PR agency to back a campaign promoting The Enterprise Network, which aims to nurture new businesses in the area through support and financial help. The brief, which is now closed to new enquiries, includes engaging with tenants for the network and raising awareness among a range of stakeholders.

The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has hired Grayling following more than a decade working with Publicasity. The agency was handed a retained brief after a pitch, and will focus on ongoing campaigns and raising awareness of chiropractic treatment in the health sector. Anne Barlow, PR and comms manager for the BCA, said the appointment followed a recent rebrand. She added: 'We want to integrate our social media offer more into our PR, and within the healthcare sector we need to make sure those making decisions such as GPs are aware of our members. It's about showing them how what they offer fits in within a wider care structure.'

London Communications Agency director Luke Blair has written this week's public sector column on press coverage of A&E waiting times and the gap between perception and reality. To read it, go to prweek.com/uk and click on opinion.

The week in the City

Perspective Financial Group, the UK-based financial advisory group, has appointed FTI Consulting to lead comms for its London float. Perspective, among the top 15 financial advisory firms in the UK with more than £2.5bn of assets under management, has said it is looking to raise £28m by floating on AIM. FTI Consulting senior vice-president Ed Berry and senor consultant Tom Blackwell are leading the account.

Elephant Communications has appointed Patrick Muir to its advisory board. Muir was the founder of Lombard Direct and Egg and a former marketing director of Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. He will join David Norman, former CEO of Credit Suisse Asset Management and CEO of TCF Investment, on the Elephant advisory board, and will provide senior counsel to the management team as well as strategic marketing consultancy to a number of international clients.

FWD Group has hired Gug Kyriacou as a director within its financial services division. He was formerly head of PR at insurance broker Le Mans Holdings and a partner at Redleaf Polhill. Kyriacou will be responsible for client handling, account management and new business development and will report to Michael Gaughan, chief executive of FWD PR.

The week in lobbying

Network Rail has drafted in Portland to handle its public affairs needs for the next three years. Portland is taking over the business later this month from incumbent MHP, which reached the final round of the pitch. The rail infrastructure operator had shortlisted eight of 26 applications.

The Whitehouse Consultancy has been appointed by the National Obesity Forum. The agency will create and manage National Obesity Awareness Week 2014, which will take place in January. Whitehouse's brief includes generating sponsorship for the event, in addition to creating PR and public affairs programmes that will highlight what the public can do to tackle obesity. The agency will also aim to secure the support of high-profile figures. Associate director Emma Carr will lead the work.

The Committee on Standards heard from a number of leading public affairs players on Tuesday in relation to All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). They included PA professionals from Luther Pendragon, MHP and the APPC. The meeting came in the wake of strong media attention on APPGs and PRWeek revealing that a number of public affairs agencies were targeted by journalists in a sting on the industry's relationship with the parliamentary groups.